The Lesson
by meagameaghan
Summary: Dayu disguises herself as a human in order to get close to Jayden and learn the sealing symbol. But in the process she teaches him valuable lessons about life, love and dealing with his secret. And she might learn a thing or two from him as well. NO romance between Dayu and Jayden because that would be just creepy. :p Jemily fanfic. NOTE: FIX GRAMMAR.
1. Chapter 1

Jayden was training when he saw the girl. He wasn't sparring with any of the other rangers. He had far surpassed them in skill by this point and besides, after his run in with Master Xandred, none of them were speaking with him anyway. Not even Emily. Emily who cried when he was wounded and held him so tenderly as his whole body throbbed in pain. He felt a pang in his chest when he realized how much he had frightened her. But he had done what he needed to do. Xandred needed to be stopped at all costs.

Jayden saw a rush of black hair whip by him as he struck the training dummy with a grunt. His samurai instincts told him to pretend that he hadn't noticed her. At least for a little while longer as her decided what his next move should be.

It was too late. The girl noticed him falter and darted off into the woods to avoid being seen. After a moment of deliberation, Jayden decided to follow her. He chased her through the dense foliage and ground thick with vegetation. She was fast. As much as Jayden tried, the girl kept managing to shake him. And just when Jayden thought that all hope was gone, he had really lost her this time, he would hear the rustle of leaves, or snap of a twig and begin his search anew.

It was almost as if the girl wanted Jayden to follow her. When Jayden stumbled or lost her trail, the girl would send a small sign his way, helping him, coaxing him into finding this mysterious stranger.

Finally, from at distance he saw her stop at a river, sit down and begin to meditate. She was waiting for him.

Jayden finally reached her, breathing heavily. There was a long moment of silence. Finally, the girl opened one dark brown eye lazily, taking him all in from his ripped jeans, to his now shredded red t-shirt. Then she sighed and closed her eyes once more.

"Took you long enough," she whined in a strangely musical sounding voice.

Jayden had recovered well enough to answer her. "Sorry. You're not an easy girl to follow."

She offered him a cat-like smirk. "So I am." She opened both eyes fully this time and gazed at him thoughtfully, as if she had asked him a question and was waiting for him to answer it.

"Why did you bring me here?" Jayden asked her.

"I didn't bring you anywhere." The girl responded simply. She looked at him, perplexed. "You followed me of your own free will."

"But… you wanted me to." Jayden retorted. He sounded flustered. After all, it did sound ridiculous if you said it out loud. She was probably just some little girl exploring the woods who stumbled upon the Shiba house. Jayden must have seemed threatening to her. Maybe he was the crazy one. Maybe he misread the signs…

"You wanted me to." Jayden found himself repeating. The girl looked at him, amused. Jayden felt his face grow red as he realized how insane he must look. Without another word he turned to leave.

"So I did." The girl responded quietly. Jayden stopped in his tracks. He was right! She did want him to come here. She brought him here for a reason!

Only then did it begin to dawn upon Jayden how dangerous this could be. They were out in the woods, all by themselves. She could attack him without anyone knowing. No one would even here him scream…

Jayden immediately brushed the though aside. The girl didn't look very threatening. And if she wanted to hurt him, she could have done it already. No. The girl brought Jayden here for a reason.

"Why?" Jayden asked her.

The girl paused for a long time, as if she didn't quite know why she had lured him out to the middle of nowhere.

"Serrator must be stopped," she said after a while.

Jayden almost took a step back in shock. "You know about Serrator?"

She smiled in a superior and condescending fashion and answered his question in a way that made her seem a lot older than she looked.

"Child… I know everything. You cannot keep anything from me. I know every lie you've every told, every weakness you've ever felt, every _secret _you've hidden."

Jayden shuddered at her emphasis on the word secret. Was it possible that this strange girl knew what he had been hiding from his fellow rangers for months?

"My team and I can take care of Serrator. You don't need to worry about it." Jayden responded brusquely.

The girl smiled, once again looking amused and shook her head at this. "Can you now? Because it seems to me that your team no longer trusts you. That will not improve once they discover your secret. You haven't really been much of a team lately. Face it. You are horribly unprepared… Jayden."

Jayden tensed as she said his name. He didn't doubt her claim that she knew everything about him but still, it was so unnerving for her to just casually toss out private information that he had not volunteered yet into the open like that. And he couldn't help but feel offended in this girl's lack of faith in him, lack of faith in the team.

The girl chuckled. "Don't get too touchy Jayden. I'm here to help you."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "What if I don't want your help."

The girl flashed him another cat-like smile with a orderly row of pearly white choice. "I'm afraid, my dear child, that you don't really have a choice." Abruptly she got up to leave. "I really must be going," she said as she turned her back to him. "I expect to see you here at this very spot at the exact same time tomorrow. Then we shall see what we can do about your complete and utter lack of coordination, fighting skill and all around inability to defeat a _real _Nighlock."

Jayden stood as steady as a rock, unfazed by her words. "And if I don't?" He asked her.

At this, the girl's smile got even wider. "Oh, you will," she assured him. She was still not facing him.

"How do you that?"

There was a long pause. "Haven't you been listening. I know everything," she explained. And then she was gone.

Jayden stood still for a few moments pondering what had just happened. He stood in the clearing for a few more minutes, almost expecting the girl to show up again. When she didn't he turned to leave.

The girl had never truly gone. How could she when she had no where to go? She stood hidden behind a tree by the river and gazed sown into its icy cool depths longingly. Even now it was beckoning to her, sloshing around the promise of sweet liquid tauntingly. Faintly, she could hear her master calling out to her from deep within the hear t of the river.

"Dayu… Dayu…"

She shushed the rampaging river soothingly.

"Don't worry Master Xandred. I will make good on my promise. We shall be together soon." Tentatively she lowered her hands to stroke the water rushing along in the river and it instantly quieted, like a petulant child, temporarily appeased.

Dayu smiled to herself as she watched the face that stared back at her in the river begin to transform. She smiled at the face that had now become familiar to her for centuries and allowed herself to fall back into the lonely paradise that she called home.


	2. The Fatal Flaw

Jayden came back. He didn't know why he came back to meet this mysterious stranger. After all, every single samurai instinct that he had told him that this was a terrible idea. But nonetheless, he came back.

She was waiting for him. She stood at the riverside gazing into its icy depths. She stopped at smiled serenely, taking everything in. She heard Jayden approaching and whipped her head around smacking him in the face with her hair.

When she saw him, her face instantly brightened. "Oh good. You're here. Let's begin training."

"Training?" He asked her looking confused. The girl nodded eagerly.

"Of course. What did you think that we were going to do?"

Jayden didn't answer her question. Quite truthfully, he believed that it was an attack and that he was going to be ambushed by monsters and have the sealing symbol dragged out of him. Evidently, this was not the case.

"I train enough back at home."

The girl smirked at him. "Yes. But not to your full potential am I wrong? It's more helpful to them that it is to you. Besides, you are a level higher than all of them are anyway."

Jayden looked at her, perplexed. Had she just given him a compliment?

The girl's smirk got bigger. "But then again, you are not better than I am."

Jayden stood up straighter, ready for a challenge. He had been waiting all day to unleash some of his frustration out on something. Anything. None of the rangers back at home were talking to him. They were all still furious with him.

The girl got into a warrior stance, pulling out a small dagger from her back pocket. Jayden paused for a moment. It wasn't fair to fight her with nothing but a dagger…

Faster than he knew was humanly possible, the girl was on him and flipped him over onto his back. She straddled him, snarling in his face.

"NEVER let your guard down," she hissed. In a swift and sudden motion she leaped off. Jayden groaned as he tried to get up and rubbed his back. That was going to leave a mark.

"Again,," she ordered as Jayden had gotten upright again. Jayden assumed a warrior's stance once more. He wasn't going to underestimate this girl again.

Violently, he swung at her as she ducked at jabbed him sharply in the side. Jayden grunted in pain but refused to stand down. He swung at her again and she darted in the opposite directon. Jayden was ready this time. Jayden thrust his sword at her full force at her left side which was exposed by her attack.

Suddenly she was gone. Jayden turned around frantically to see where she had gone and saw nothing.

He heard a voice whisper in his ear. "Never turn your back on an opponent," it hissed. Jayden felt a shooting stab of pain and then fell to the ground. He grit his teeth in concentration. He had to beat this girl.

If he couldn't beat this small little fairy creature, how was he going to defeat Master Xandred?

The girl shook her head and clucked in disapproval at him. "Sloppy at best. We have a lot of work to do. Dekker was right. You are getting weaker."

That was it. In a fit of rage Jayden lunged at the girl and was silenced with a quick kick to the chest. He went flying backwards and sailed into a tree. The girl looked at him with her cat-like eyes. It seemed as though she was struggling to hold back laughter.

"You're too rash. Too impulsive," she chided. "Good warriors wait patiently for an opening. They don't let their emotions get the better of them." She paused for a moment. "Back when you were good, that's how you got the best of Dekker… if I remember correctly.

Jayden froze in fear. How did she know that? No one had been there that day except for him and Dekker.

The girl shook her head smiling to herself. "I know everything. Remember?" she reminded him.

"And he was right you know. You have ways to go before you are truly a worthy opponent for a real Nighlock."

Jayden bristled at the insult. He had defeated Nighlock monsters hundreds of time. Of course, he always had his team to help him.

"So it is true then," he said with a deflated voice. "I have gotten weaker."

The girl softened for an instant. "Not exactly. Everyone has weakness, some more obvious than others. Before when you thought Dekker, your weakness seemed more secret. You seemed more detached. Dekker is merely disappointed because you now show no attempt of hiding what your weakness is."

"And what would that be?" Jayden asked her in a superior tone. The girl smiled and then slashed at him with her dagger. This time Jayden blocked it with ease. The girl smiled at him in approval. She leaned in really close to him pushing with all of her force against the dagger positioned on Jayden's chest. He pushed back with equal force, determined not to let her get the better of him.

"You've grown attached to them," she hissed in his face. Jayden opened his mouth to speak. "No. Don't deny it. It's true. You showed no guilt at having to fight your friend Kevin for the sake of protecting the innocent. Would you show the same resolve now? I think not."

She twirled at slashed at him again. Jayden caught her blow, but with more difficulty this time. The girl smiled, knowing that she was wearing down on him.

"And Mia. Did you bat an eye when she was taken to find those brides? Did you show the slightest bit of concern for her?" Jayden grunted with the tremendous effort of holding her off. The girl was stronger than she looked.

The girl pushed his sword aside and jab it towards his heart for the grand finish. Jayden managed to block her once more, but barely. Sweat was dripping down his face but the girl didn't seem to tire. Jayden, on the other hand, didn't know how long he could keep this up.

"What about Emily?" she asked innocently. "Don't deny it. I see the pain in your eyes as you think about it even now." She leaned closer to whisper in his ear. "What did you feel like when Emily collapsed to the ground the day that Emily got her spirit taken? Don't lie. I heard the anguish in your voice. Would you have done anything to save her?"

"I-" Jayden gasped.

"You don't need to answer that question Jayden," the girl hissed pressing harder against him with her blade. "I know that you would of. You were ready to sell your soul to the devil to get her out. My little martyr, she sneered.

"I…" Jayden began. This was getting harder. Was it just him or was this girl getting heavier? She continued with her speech.

"Sure, there was some hesitation at first. I mean, you're the leader. The world needs you. Giving your life up for a little substitute ranger that can barely hold a blade. How pathetic would that be?" Jayden started shaking. His muscles were tiring from holding her off for so long. And she was just so incredibly strong.

"But you wanted to. You would never let anyone know, but you wanted to all the same."

Without warning the girl got off of him and made her way back over to the river. She splashed some water on her face and breathed deeply, looking perfectly tranquil. Only then did Jayden notice the lines on her face. Something gave him the impression that this girl was a LOT older than she looked.


	3. Close your Eyes

Sensing an opportunity, Jayden decided to sneak up on the girl. He made his way closer to her soundlessly, so that the girl could not hear him coming. As he got near he began to smile to himself.

"It's just as you taught me," he muttered, as he was a few feet away. "Don't ever turn your back on an opponent. And don't ever close your eyes."

The girl's eyes snapped open and in flash she has behind him, her dagger poised at his throat. "Not," she whispered "if you can defeat your opponent…even with your eyes closed.

Violently, she shoved him off of her. He turned around quickly before she had the chance to strike again.

"You weakling!" she snarled at him. "See what they have done to you? They have made you weak. You are more powerful when you fight alone. They are mere…distractions." In her lecture, the girl had left herself unguarded. Jayden took note of it carefully.

_Now's my chance. _He thought to himself. Before she had the chance to block herself, Jayden charged at the girl full force with no hesitation.

And before his very eyes, her face changed. Her eyes got lighter, more compassionate more loving. She smiled showing a row of pearly white teeth that were not threatening in the least. And her straight dark hair lightened into beautiful blonde curls.

Jayden stopped when he saw her beauty and the fight went out of him. "Emily…" he gasped reaching out to the phantom. Suddenly Emily was gone and Jayden was on the ground staring up at the sky.

His new teacher was looking down at him disapprovingly. She shook her head in disappointment. "Too easily distracted by a pretty face I see."

"How did you do that?" Jayden growled at her. The girl shook her head and put a finger to her lips, that secret little smile still perched upon her face.

"That's my little secret," she responded.

"That was a dirty trick!" He yelled at her. The girl merely shrugged.

"Nighlock fight dirty. You need to get used to it." And with that the girl turned her back on him and walked away. "I expect to see you bright and early tomorrow morning," she called back to him. She paused as she was walking away. "And Jayden? Maybe you should set your priorities straight. I doubt she would want to be with you anyway… if she knew your secret."

And then she was gone. But her last words remained with him. And they sent a chill up his spine. _If she knew your secret. _Yes. But how do you know? He thought to himself. He could almost imagine her sarcastic response.

_That's for me to know and for you to find out. _


End file.
